Park Chandae: "Yoon Administration, Confusing Whether It's the Government of the Republic of Korea or the Japanese Governor-General's Office"

Japan's Sado Mine Inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage
Park: "Diplomatic Incompetence and Disaster, Will Investigate the Truth"

Park Chan-dae, Acting Leader and Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, "(Japan's) Sado Mine was inscribed as a World Heritage site amid praise from the Yoon Seok-yeol administration." The Sado Mine, a gold mine on Sado Island in Japan, is a site of forced labor of Koreans during the Japanese colonial period, yet its inscription as a World Heritage site was decided by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on the 27th, sparking controversy.

On the morning of the 29th, Acting Leader Park criticized the government's response to the inscription of the Sado Mine at a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly. He said, "(The government) has voluntarily become a rubber stamp for Japan's distortion of war crimes, making it confusing whether it is the government of the Republic of Korea or the Japanese Governor-General's Office," adding, "We will conduct a thorough investigation into the diplomatic incompetence and the disaster and hold those responsible strictly accountable." He continued, "Is the president, who said he does not pledge loyalty to any person, now pledging loyalty to Japan?" and emphasized, "The Democratic Party will strongly oppose the ruinous appeasement of Japan."

Park Chan-dae, Acting Party Leader and Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 29th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Acting Leader Park claimed, "Even now, Japan does not acknowledge any coercion in the mobilization of Koreans," and "Nevertheless, the government rashly acted based solely on Japan's empty promise to install related exhibits far from the Sado Mine." He further pointed out, "From Fukushima nuclear contaminated water, Japanese military aircraft threatening flights, to the comfort women issue, the Yoon administration has surrendered everything Japan wanted," adding, "No wonder voices are emerging within Japan saying the Dokdo issue must be resolved within Yoon's term." He also added, "A power that denies and ignores history does not even deserve to exist."

Lee Hae-sik, Chief Spokesperson of the Democratic Party, stated that future responses regarding the Sado Mine issue will include "continuing to issue statements and strongly responding at the level of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee." Regarding the 'Sado Mine Resolution' passed in the National Assembly before the mine was inscribed as a heritage site, he mentioned, "Not a single member of the People Power Party abstained or opposed it, so it was passed unanimously." On the 25th, the National Assembly adopted the 'Resolution Urging the Japanese Government to Withdraw the Promotion of Sado Mine's World Heritage Inscription and to Implement UNESCO Recommendations on Japan's Modern Industrial Facilities' with all 225 members present voting in favor during the plenary session.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.